Horn or signal device.



M. R. HUTCHISON. B088 08 SIGNAL DEVICE. APPLIOATION I'ILID DBO. 7, 1000.

1,087,538, Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

WITNESSES. INVENTQR v I Br W n'nrm/mr f UMT D sing es PATENr OFFICE.

MILLER REESE HU'I'CHISON. OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., ASSIGNOR T0 LOVELL-MCCONNELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

HORN 0B SIGNAI; DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Application med December 7, 1909. Serial No. 581,902.

To all tr}: om it may concern Be it known that I, M mum Rnssn He'rcmsox. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain .new and useful Improvements in Horns or Signal Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to horns of the type commonly used 'on automobiles, launches, etc., for the purpose of giving an alarm or signal, and particularly to diaphragm actuated-horns. The conditions of use usually require that -such horns be mounted in exposed positions and usually arranged so that the diaphragm is vertical and the mouth of the horn forwardly directed so as to throw the sound in the direction I of movement. A horn so arranged on an automobile traveling at high speed is particularly exposed, and is in position to collect flying particles of dirt, pebbles, mud, rain, etc. The same thing may happen in the washing of an automobile with a' hose as commonly practised. In such cases, the foreign matter collects in the space between the diaphragm and the dia hragm case, therebv causing the note of tiehorn to be mutfled and comparatively useless. Moreover, a body of water remaining: in such sp ce for any length of time tends to corrotc the metal and to soak through the joints and packing into the interior where it may damage the operating mechanism. For the above reasons it is common to inclose the operating parts of the horn in a tight casing and to protect the mouth of the horn or projector by a screen.

In my prior applications. Serial No. 280.910 and Serial l\o. 494,399, I have described and claimed a separate drain hole arranged in the front section of the case leading from the lower-portion of the space between it and the diaphragm, whereby water and other foreignfmatter may be drained or expelled from said cavity.

Screens do not keep out water, and they o tend to dampen the sound of the horn. Drain holes are satisfactory, but'thev have Hence it mayi bccome desirable to avoid either 0 these ex edionts, though, of course, this is less 11k y in the case of the mechanically actuated dia hra m horn shown in prior application, eria No. 494,399.

Iy. present invention, therefore, contemplates an arrangement of the diaphragm and of the horn or resonator used to amplify and project the sound, whereby the cavity between the diaphragm and front case may be effectively drained through the projector opening, notwithstanding the fact that the mouth of the projector is forwardly directed. This is accom'plished by arranging the diaphragm and the diaphragm inclosing section 0 the case in a position sutficicntly near the horizontal so that foreign matter forced against the diaphragm will drain out of the case by gravity, and by havin the horn or projector curved around towar parallelism with the diaphragm so that the sound is projected in a direction snfiiciently approximating the horizontal. The'curvature of the bottom wall of the horn is preferably such that there is a continuous gravity drainage from the diaphragm case to the mouth of the horn. The drainage pitch of the horn need not be great because the diaphragm forms a tight closure for the rear end of the horn, thereby pre enting any possibility of updraft which would tend to oppose the free drainage by gravity. Moreover, in the case of an automobile horn. the changes of position of the automobile due to down grades of the road will serve to effectively drain a din )hrngni case. although the drainage pitch 0 the. inner surface of the case may not. be suilicicnt to completely discharge water when the automobile is standing on a level or is traveling up hill.

In the drawings. Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the diaphragm and the sound projector in vertical central section; Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing one means of securing the horn in the desired position.

In the drawings the instrument comprises a rear case 1, inclosing any desired mechanical, electric 0r-electronnignctiomoans for vibrating an acoustic diaphragm 2. latter is clamped bet-ween suitable Sllifn cs 4 and 5 on the rear section of the case and on the diaphragm section 3, Suitable washera 6 and 7 being provided for cw-niouiug the din hragm and for rendering the joint water-tight. In the form shown the diaphragm section 8, the diaphragm. and

The.

washers 6 and 7 are positioned within a downwardly extending flange on the rear case so that the joint is protected from water draining down from above. The said parts pitch need not be such thatthe water will, tend to find its way out at all times under all conditions of use. since .in the case of an automobile proceeding up a steep hill this would require that the inner wall of the case be funnel-shaped with a pitch approximately equal to the pitch of the grade of the road, whereas efiici'ent drainage requires only that 'such wall be within limits ap-' roximately parallel with the diaphragm. n view of al of the above conditions, it is desirable that the diaphragm be arranged horizontally as shown, that the-inner drainage s'urface of the case be slightly pitched or coned as shown, and that the surface be free from ribs or projections which' would tend 3 to Iprevent escape of foreign matter.

a Fig. 2 is shown a means for securing the hornina desirable position with respect to a vertical surface on a vehicle, as for in- .stance, the dashboard of an automobile. 5 In this case, the securing plate 9 is formed with a support-engaging surface approximately perpendicu a'r to the plane of the dia hragm. ile I have herein fully shown and de- 40 scribed, and havepointed out in the a pended claims certain novel features of t 1e construction, arrangement, and operation which characterize my invention, it will he understood by those skilled in the art that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the forms, pro ortions, sizes, and details of the device an of its operation, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. claim:

1. In a dia hra alarm or signal device 4 of the class escri ed, a diaphra m means for securing the device with the iaphragm approximately horizontal, a diaphragm clamp and a tight case for'protcctmg the o crating mechanism secured on the upper side of said diaphragm, and, on the lower side of said diaphragm, a coiiperating diaphragm clamp and an a roximately hori- 60 zontalcase wall extcn mg adjacent the loweufuceof the diaphragm and formin therewith a thin annular space, a downwar opening through said case wall. having a mouth piece or horn arranged for project- 65 ing the sound in a direction approximately arallel with the diaphragm, the inner surace of said lower case wall adjacent said opening being formed so as to have a pitch a ording drainage b gravity through the horn o ening when t 0 device is supported with tie diaphragm approximately horizontal.

2. In a device of the class described, a substantially horizontal diaphragm, a tight upper casing on the upper sideof the diap ragm for protecting t 1e o crating mechanism, and on the lower si e of said din-- phragm,'a diaphragm casing and a curved mm or projector arranged to project the sound in a direction approximately parallel with'the dia hragm, said diaphragm casing forming wit the lower face of the diaphragm a thin annular space, the inner surface of the diaphragm casing adjacent the horn ppenin and the curved horn communicating therewith being formed and arranged, so as to afford drainage by gravity through said opening and horn when the device is en ported so that the. mouth of the horn is t irected horizontally.

3. In a device of the class described, a substantially horizontal diaphragm, a tight upper casing on the upper side of the diap ragm for protecting tie operating mechanism, and on the lower side of said diaphragm, a diaphragm casing and a curved orn or projector arranged to project the sound in a'direction approximately parallel with the dia hragm, said diaphragm casing forming witi the lower face of the diaphragm a thin annular space, the inner surface of thediaphragm casing adjacent the horn openin and the curved horn communicating t erewith being formed and arranged so as to afi'ord drainage by gravity through said opening 'and horn when the device is supported so that the mouth of the horn is directed horizontally, together with a, bracket formed and arranged for securing said device to the dashboard of an automobile in said osition with the mouth of the horn forwar ly directed.

4.'In a'dcvicc of the class described, a substantially horizontal diaphragm, a tight upper casing on the upper side of the diap iragm for protecting the operating mechanism, and on the lower side of said diaphrngm, a diaphragm casing and a horn,

or projector extending approxiumtcly paralle with said diaphragm, said diaphragm casing formingsvith the lower face of the dia hragm a t in annular space, the inner sur'ace of the diaphragm casing opposite the diaphragm being formed so as to have a pitch affording drainage by gravity through the horn opening when the device is supported so that the diaphragm is approximately horizontal togcthcr with means for securing said device to the dashboard of an automo ile in approximately horizontal nism -and on -the lower si position with the-mouth of the horn forwa fil directed. I 5. I a device of the class described, a substantially horizontal diaphragm, ati ht 11 per casing onthe upper side of the in?- p ragm for protecting e ogernting media'- phragm, a diaphra casin or projector extendi l i -appr nmatel alle with said dia h'ragm', said diapfi casing forminfilgit 'the lower face of ge' dm hragm a annular space; the inner ear ace of the diaphragm casing opposite the diaphragm being ooned adjacent said opening so as.to afford drainage by gravity and -a horn,

par-

of said die-' MILLER REESE HUTCHISON.

. Witn: GEORGE C. DEAN,

' Indmo M. Onnmerrr.

009m at this patent may be obtained to: the tents eaeli, by addrenln: the Oommluloner or ratentl. wuhlngtqmn. q." 

